Domestic air travel grows by 7% from a year ago to over 8.46 million

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source Australia, November 2018 - April 2019. Base: Australians 14+ who have used a domestic airline in the last 12 months (n=2,604).

New research from Roy Morgan shows that the domestic airline travel industry in Australia is growing strongly, up by 7% from a year ago to over 8.46 million domestic air travelers in the year to March 2019.

There has been a growth in customer patronage across all six of Australia’s leading domestic airlines and competition is close between the three leaders Qantas, Virgin Australia and discount operator Jetstar.

Qantas leads the way with over 4.3 million domestic customers in the last year, up 3.9ppts on a year ago, ahead of Jetstar which has enjoyed growth of 13.3ppts and now has more than 4 million and Virgin Australia with even stronger growth of 15.9ppts and has closed the gap on its two leading rivals with almost 3.8 million domestic customers.

Gen X are Australia’s leading domestic flyers – ahead of Millennials

Analysing Australia’s domestic airline customers by generation* shows Gen X are Australia’s leading domestic air travelers numbering some 2.31 million ahead of 2.04 million Millennials and 1.96 million Baby Boomers. Nearly half of Gen X, 47%, has traveled via a domestic airline in the last year.

As Australia’s leading domestic air travelers Gen X comprise the largest share of customers for most of Australia’s leading airlines including Qantas (30%), Virgin Australia (28%), Jetstar (28%), QantasLink (35%) and REX/Regional Express (36%). The sole exception is Tigerair for whom 37% of their customers are Millennials – a higher reliance on any one generation than any other airline.
Domestic air travelers in Australia by Generation (000's) – March 2019Source: Roy Morgan Single Source Australia, November 2018 - April 2019. Base: Australians 14+ who have used a domestic airline in the last 12 months (n=2,604).

Michele Levine, CEO, Roy Morgan, says the strong growth in Australia’s domestic air travel industry bodes well for leading holiday destinations around Australia looking to attract new tourists to support their local hotels, motels and resorts:

“Australia’s domestic travel industry has enjoyed a bumper year with patronage of our domestic airlines growing strongly by 7.1% to 8.46 million, an increase of 560,000 on a year ago.

“All leading airlines have increased their domestic passenger numbers from a year ago and monthly customer satisfaction award winner Qantas (covered here) retains the lead with over 4.3 million domestic customers ahead of discount subsidiary Jetstar on 4 million and Virgin Australia on 3.8 million.

“Roy Morgan’s domestic airline traveler data shows that Gen X comprise 27% of the 8.46 million domestic airline travelers and 47% of Gen X have travelled on a domestic airline in the last year – the highest rate of any generation. However, although Gen X comprises the largest share of customers for most airlines Tigerair provides an exception with Millennials making up well over a third of the discount airline’s customers.

“Analysing the extensive data Roy Morgan collects each year from over 50,000 Australians as part of the Single Source survey allows businesses to gain unique and powerful insights into the future travel preferences of Australians and what drives their decision-making when deciding which airline to travel with.
"Roy Morgan is presenting a special State of the Nation: Tourism in Melbourne and Sydney on the mornings of June 18/19, 2019. Be sure to contact enquiries@roymorgan.com to register your interest in attending.”

July 15 2018

February 03 2018

The end of the mining boom has reduced business air travelers in Australia in recent years despite continued broader economic growth with the two key mining states of Western Australia and Queensland experiencing substantial drops.

December 09 2016

In a country the size and location of Australia, it’s no wonder that Aussies are an airborne bunch. Findings from Roy Morgan’s latest Air Travel Report reveal that more than 10 million of us travelled by air at least o...

About Roy Morgan

Roy Morgan is the largest independent Australian research company, with offices throughout Australia, as well as in Indonesia, the United States and the United Kingdom. A full service research organisation specialising in omnibus and syndicated data, Roy Morgan has over 70 years’ experience in collecting objective, independent information on consumers.

Margin of Error

The margin of error to be allowed for in any estimate depends mainly on the number of interviews on which it is based. Margin of error gives indications of the likely range within which estimates would be 95% likely to fall, expressed as the number of percentage points above or below the actual estimate. Allowance for design effects (such as stratification and weighting) should be made as appropriate.

Sample Size

Percentage Estimate

40%-60%

25% or 75%

10% or 90%

5% or 95%

1,000

±3.0

±2.7

±1.9

±1.3

5,000

±1.4

±1.2

±0.8

±0.6

7,500

±1.1

±1.0

±0.7

±0.5

10,000

±1.0

±0.9

±0.6

±0.4

20,000

±0.7

±0.6

±0.4

±0.3

50,000

±0.4

±0.4

±0.3

±0.2

Latest in Store

Links

Social

Roy Morgan

Roy Morgan gives you the power of the world's best market research data in ready-made reports and profiles with latest research statistics, information and news. This includes consumer satisfaction reports, customer profiles and industry reports relevant to your target audience.